FIFTH CLASS POWER ENGINEERS CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS
From ABSA, The Pressure News, Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2006


A low passing rate and a lack of appropriate training course materials for the 5th Class Power Engineers Certification examination initiated a lot of discussion in this year's Interprovincial Power Engineering Curriculum Committee (IPECC) meeting in Regina. IPECC proposed a revised course outline to help define the syllabus.

After consulting college instructors and training providers and receiving feedback from the industry, four major causes for the low passing rate were identified:

  1. Many candidates writing the examinations have English as a second language.
  2. Candidates generally do not have sufficient operating experience.
  3. Course materials are at the 4th Class level.
  4. There are the same percentage of questions from technical areas such as welding technology and applied science as there are questions related to boiler and boiler operation.
Certifying competent 5th Class power engineers is critical to pressure equipment safety as these people are normally taking care of small heating plants close to the public. As a regulatory body, ABSA is not going to make the exams easier to bring up the passing rate. However, we are committed to make sure that examination questions are clear, at the proper skill level and related to the job.

ABSA has taken the following actions to address the four major causes:

  1. Examination questions and answers were reviewed and revised to have short sentences in simple English.
  2. Training providers are encouraged to include a competency component (practical test / demonstration) in their courses.
  3. ABSA is working with PanGlobal Training Systems Limited (an organization which produces power engineering training materials and was formed in 2003 through a unique partnership formed between SAIT, NAIT and BCIT which have been producing power engineering training materials since 1917) on revising the 5th Class course material and they indicated that the course material will be available by the end of 2007.
  4. Starting January 2007, the 5 th Class Power Engineer Certification examination will have a higher percentage of boiler and boiler operation questions and a lower percentage of questions on technical areas such as welding technology and applied science.
There is a strong demand for Power Engineers across Canada, especially in Alberta. College educators, training providers, industry and regulatory bodies work together as partners to improve the quality of power engineers which in turn enhances public safety.

For more information on IPECC and SOPEEC, please visit the SOPEEC web site at www.sopeec.org.

From ABSA, The Pressure News, Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2006

First published in "the Operator", March 2007

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